Apparatus for loading brick into box cars



1,645,353 0t- Il' 1927' w. w. WALLACE I APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICK INTOBOX CARS Filed March '28. 1925 '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 11,1927.

1,645,363 W. N. WALllACE APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICK-INTO BOX CARS FiledMarch 28 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 1l 192 7 w. w. WALLACE APPARATUS FORLOADING BRICK INTO BOX CARS v sheets-simu 3 Filed March 28 1925 Oct. 1l1927.

I w. w. WALLACE APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICK INTO BOX CARS Filed March 281925 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Octl i W. W. WALLACE APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICKINTO BOX CARS Oct. ll 1927.

w. w. WALLACE APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICK INTO BOX CARS i y ,www e l Wi@NM M W/W ,WJ \\N Qn Oct. 11 1927.

w. w. WALLACE APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICK INTO BOX CARS Filed March 281925 7 Sheets-:Shet 7 Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. WALLACE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR T0 NEW YORK BRICKHANDLING CORPORATION, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION oF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR LOADING BRICK INT0 BOX CARS.

Application filed March 28, 1925, Serial No. 19,152.

My present invention relates to brick haiidling apparatus, and moreparticularlyto an improved apparatus for loading brick into cais orother enclosed spaces.

Heretol'ore in loading brick into box cars it has been necessary towheel the brick in small loads, as in Wheelbarrows, Wheel the same intothe car and pile the brick inside the car by hand. Necessarily this is asloW and therefore an expensive procedure, and when the car has reachedits destination the process must be reversed. In my present invention Ihave devised a machine whereby brick in units of any desired size may bemoved into and loaded into a box car or other enclosed spacemechanically. This is advantageous as, at the present day, it iscustomary to build brick kilns by mechanical means that takes a unitstack of brick and places the same in a kiln, this same appara` tus, ora modilication thereof, being utilized to tear down or dismantle thekiln after the burning operation has taken place. In the dismantlingoperation the unit stack of bricks may be loaded onto my presentimproved apparatus and therefore mechanically placed directly into a boxcar.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is an improved machinefor mechanically loading brick into box cars or other enclosed spaces. l

Another object of my invention is an improved device for picking up aunit stack of brick and placing the same in position in a box car.

Other objects and novel features of the construction and arrangement ofparts comprising my invention will be apparent as the description of theinvention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings illustratingy my improved invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the machine in position relative to a boxcar;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the car load in;T bridge;

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the car loading bridge;

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of the car loading bridge;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the brick loading car;

Fig. G is a plan View of the transfer car; Fig. T is an end elevation ofthe transfer car,

Fig. 8 is a side elevation on the transfer car; Y Fig. 9 is a sideelevation of the brick loadinv car;

:ig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional plan ylew of one of the parallellyarranged lifting fingers showing the mechanism encased therein;

Fig. 11 is a plan view similar to Fig. 110 but with the materialengaging means in operated or extended position,

Fig. 12 is a sectional elevation on the lin 12-12 of Fig. 11. i

Fig. 13 is a plan View of the construction shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 14 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the construct-ion shown indotted lines in the lower right-hand corner of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a box car or similar enclosedspace provided with doors or openings 11 through which may be carriedthe articlesl to vbe loaded therein. At one side of the box car 10 andextending transversely outward therefrom is,

a bridge defined generally'as 12an'd consisting of channel members 13arranged parallel to each other and connected togetherb angles 14 andcross members or bars 15,1;lie Whole constituting a rectangular frame'ofany desired length. Cross bars16 arearranged on the upper pair ofchannel members 13, and secured to 'saidjtransverse meinbers andextending longitudinally'of'-the bridge 12 are rails 1? spaced apartfrom each other in the usual manner, and on which rails runs apparatusto behereina'fter described. The lower pair of channel members 13 reston I-beams 18 which, in turn, rest on Wedge members 19. Cooperating withthe Wedge membersy19 are Wedge members 2O resting on-supportsQl mountedon members 22 that are Aembedded in the ground or arranged in anysuitable manner. The Wedge members 19 and 20 cooperate and act as ameans for adjustingthe lone end or the other, or both, of the bridge 12vertically. Extending longitudinally of the bridge 12, secured to thecross members 16, are parallelly arranged boards 23 and along which anoperator can Walk. On therear end of the bridge, or that end furthestremoved from they box car 10, are transverse members 24 of greaterlength thanthe transverse members 16, .and on such transverse membersare parallelly arranged boards 25 constituting alplatform on which theoperator may stand. Secured to that end of the. bridge 12 adjacent tothe box car 10 and on theft'op surface thereof are bearings 26 in whichis rotatably mounted a shaft 27 having secured thereto, or rotatablymounted thereon, one end of a frame 28, which has secured thereto and inalignment with the rails 17 a pair of rails 29. To the free end of theframe 28 are secured members 30 which rest on the edge of the opening 11of thebox car 10 and hold the frame 28 in position. Numeral 32designates rails similar in cross sectional area to the rails 29 and17,'and which are adapted to be placed on thefloor of the box car 10transversely thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Thebridge justdescribedis adapted to be positioned yadjacent to the device forunloading kilns by mechanical means.

y Numeral 33 designates a pair of side bars spaced apart from each otherand having secured at each end bearing clamps 34. These bearing clampsare arranged in pairs, as

shown, each pair being in alignment with the other, and in each pair isrotatably mounted an axle 35 to the ends of which are secured flangedwheels 36, the space between the flanged wheels being substantiallyequal to the distance between the rails 17 on the bridge V12. In thebearing clamps 34 are arlranged anti-friction bearings, as ball bearings(not shown) for the axle 35. On the side bars 32 between the bearingclamps 34 vis secured a bottom plate 37, it being possible -to make thisbottom plate 37 of dierent length, depending on the size of the brickSecured to they sidevbars 33 between each end of the bottom plate 37 andthe adjacent bearing clamp 34 is secured a channel iron member 38, thismember extending transversely-.of the side bars. Secured to each of thechannel mem-- J bers 38, which constitute a cross track for the transfercar, and on each side thereof is a track reenforcing bar 39, andextending between said bars at one end thereof and at the end of thecross track forl the transfer car is a car stop pin 40 with which mayengage one of the Wheels of the brick transfer .car -to limit. themovement thereof on the cross tracks. -Secured to the upper surfacelofthe bottom plate 37 are a pair of spaced latch lever hinges 41 and inthese hinges is '-pivotallyv mounteda spring *pressed latch lever. 42.`Secured to .the ends of the pair of tracks 32 that are adapted to besecured tothe floor of the car 10, and on the ends ofthe tracks 17adjacent to the platform one being located on each side of the loadingcar, and spaced apart from'each of the outside loading car frames andparallel thereto are inside truck frames 51. Secured to the lower frontend of each of the outside car frames and its adjacent and associatedinside truck frame is a front axle 52, on each of which is rotatablymounted a front wheel 53 of suitable width and diameter. Secured to eachof the'V inside truck frames 51 adja cent to its lower edge and at therear thereof are bearings 54, these bearings being in alignment witheach other, and rotatably mounted in said bearings is a shaft 55extending transversely of the device. Secured to each end of the shaft5o isa rear Wheel 56, this being preferably of smaller diameter than thediameter of the front wheel 53, and it will be noted by reference toFig. 10 that the outside truck frame 50 is cut away at 57 to allow forthe rear wheel 56 .to lie closely adjacent to. the inside truck frame51, or practically within the space between the inside truck frame andits adjacent outside truck frame. Secured to the inside truck frames 51and in alignment with each other is a hoist segment sli-.ift box 5S andin such shaft box is rotatably mounted the shaft 59. Secured to each endof the shaft 59 and in the space between the outside truck frames 50 andinside truck frames 51 is a pinion 60, each of which meshes with, and isadapted to drive, a hoisting` segment 61. Each of the hoistingr segments61 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 62 extending between the outsidetruck frame 50 and the inside truck frame 51 adjacent to its upper frontedge, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. Secured to the inside truck framemembers 51 adjacent to the rear edge thereof is a transverse plate 63,and to the upper central face of such transverse member is secured anupwardly extending .bearing member 64, this memberalso including a wormwheel housing that surrounds the shaft 59.` totatably mounted in thebearing member 64 above the shaft 59 is a shaft 65. Secured to the rearend of the shaft is a hand wheel 66 provided with ahand1e 67 and bymeans of which the Wheel 66, and therefore the shaft65, may be rotatedin either direction as desired. Secured to the shaft 65, or .formedintegral thereon, is a worm a which meshes with, and drives, a wormwheel 68 secured to the shaft 59 and Within the bearing 64. Itis obviousfrom the above that, rotation ofthe shaft 65 by means ofthe hand wheel66 will cause a rotation of the shaft 59, and therefore a rotativemovement of the pinions 60, and a corresponding rotative movement of thesegments 61 about their axes 62. The truck frame as thus far describedis adapted to be moved along the troughs 38 secured to the top of thetransfer car heretofore described, it being, of course, essential thatthe trough 35 be of suitable width to receive the front and rear wheels53 and 56 respectively of the loading car.

Located within the elements of the loading car structure, as abovedescribed, for vertical movement therein is a basket comprisedessentially of sideA plates 69 spaced apart from each other in anysuitable manner, and on the outside of each of the side plates 69 issecured, as by riveting, a hoist segment lug 70 having securedl thereina shaft 71 having rotatably mounted thereon theforwardly extendingportion of the hoist segment 61, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. As abovenoted, the side plates 69 are spaced apart and secured together in anysuitable manner,`such means including a back'plate 72, and at thecentral portion of the back plateare secured lu 73 spaced apart rfromeach other. Pivota lg mounted in said lugs is a rearwardly exten 'nglever catch 74pmvided with a tooth 75 for a purpose to be hereinafterdescribed. Secured to the front face adjacent to the lower edge of thebaci; plate 72 are bearing lugs 76, these lugs being in alignment witheach other, and rotatably mounted therein is a splined shaft 77extending transversely of the basket.. ISecured to the shaft 77 by a lug78 is an upwardly and rearwardly extending clamping lever 79.Intermediate the ends of the clamping lever 79 and laterally extendingoutward ltherefrom is a pin 80 adapted to be moved into engagement withthe `tooth 75 ori the vlever catch 74. Secured `to the lower edge of the'back late 72 is an angle 81 to which is secured' tiie vplurality of parallelly arranged forwardly extending lingers 82. The fingers 82 arespaced from each other a distance sli' htly greater than the thicknessof a bricglt or slightly greater, therefore, than 2%", the averagethickness of the ordinary commercial brick 891. It is to be understood,however, that such distance is merely conventional as 'it'may be variedto suit the size of brick being operated on Slidably'mounted in each ofthe parallelly arranged fingers 82 so as to be movable longitudinallyoil said lingers are shafts 83, a coil spring 84 on each of said shaftsand properly associated with the mechanism providing for the return ofsaid shaft to normal position. The rear end of each of the shafts 83 isprovided with a clamping rod eye 85', suchL clamping rod eye beingpivotally attached to the lower end of a brick clamp crank 86, these4brick clamping cranks 'being secured to the ksplined shaft 77. In eachofthe' parallelly arranged fingers and along 'the length thereof at oneside are vertically arranged-shafts 87, these shafts being spaced apartabout the length of the ordinary brick 89 and so arranged. IS t0 liesibstantialiy oppositefthe middleoi such commercial brick. "S'lidablymounted on the shaft 83 and abutting one end against the sprin 84 is aswivel 88, and pivotally attache to the swivel is a finger clamp member89 which is rotatably mounted on the shaft 87. Secured to the fingerclamp member 89 is a finger clamp 90, the edge of which is relativelysharp so as to indent the side or face of the brick. When the clamplever 79 is in the position shown in Fig. 10, the clamp members arearranged parallel to one side ofvfthe lingers to which they may beattached, but when the clamp lever 79 is moved intothe position Wherethe laterally extending pin thereon is engaged by the tooth 75 on thelatch lever 74, the shaft 77 is rotated to cause the linger clamp cranks86 to move the shafts 88 rearwardly, thus rotating the clamp-mem ber 89about the vertical shafts87 and forcing the clamps 90 into engagementwith the bricks and forcing such bricks firmly against the adjacentlinger 82.

The construction of the :above is such that the top of the lingers arelocated about live inches from the top of the transfer car platform 37,this construction enabling the loading fork to be easily slid in and.out of the space between the lingers even when such space is partiallyfilled by a brick or bricks placed -edgewise I may secure to the uppersurface of the platform 37 a plurality of parallelly arranged ribs 100,the jdistance between such ribs being substantially equal to thedistan-Ce between the brick fingers. l have yillustrated several of'suchmembers 100 in Fig. *6, and itis to be understood that I may continuethis' throughout the length of the platform 37. Referring to Fig.v 6,101 designates short lengths of trough of cross sectionalareafequal tothe cross sectional area of the troughs 38, and these troughs aresecured to members 102 adapted to bel temporarily nailed, if necessary,tothe floor of the box car 'l0-,although ordinarily,'it will be foundthat the weight of such members 1&01 and 102 lis sullicient to hold themfirmly in position. Such members 101 are of any convenient length. Themembers 102 areof such height as to bring the rear end of the troughs-101 into substantial alignment with the troughs '38, as regards, whensuchtroughs 38 on the transfer car are run on the tracks 32 extendingtransversel of the box car`10. On vthe outei end o each ofthe members101 is arranged a member 103 which exten-ds beyond the troughs 101, asi-ndicatedat 104, and on such portion 104 may rest "the end of othertroughs 105, as clearly .shown in `6 and 7. The number of short lengthsof troughs 101 and 105 may be as many as desired, depending to a. greatextent on the length of the box car vor other enclosure which it isdesired to load or. unload.

- It will be appareng'of course, that, when brick are taken out of thekiln by means of a lifting and dumping fork, the finger courses are leftbehind and form the top course of the next succeeding load for the fork.In connection with the present invention, therefore, one of the problemsto be solved is the means by which finger courses may be produced as, ofcourse, such finger courses are necessary in order to allow Athe liftingand dumping fork to be withdrawn from under a unit stack of brick, andalso to allow the lifting fingers of the brick loading car Ato bewithdrawn from beneath a unit stack of brick. In my present invention,this operation may be performed in two separate ways. First, therequired number of brick in each finger course, usually four, is placedby hand in the grooves defined by the ribs l0() on the platform 37 ofthe transfer car. l/V hen such grooves defined by the ribs l0() areemployed and the finger courses placed in such grooves, the loading carlifting fingers are lowered down toward the platform 37 and it is, ofcourse, to be understood that the ribs 100 come into registry with thelifting fingers of the loading car, and when the lifting fingers arelowered into position, the finger courses lie between the liftingfingers with the top surface thereof slightly below the top surface ofthe lifting fingers. The lifting and dumping fork carrying the unit loadof brick, but without the finger courses, is now brought into positionand the teeth of the fork may be slid into the space between one side ofthe lifting fingers of the loading car and one face of the bricks of thefinger courses, as the width between fingers on the loading car is amplywide for this purpose. Secont, the top surface of the platform 37 isleft plain and the liftingfingers of the loading car are brought down tothe proper position above the same and this position usually means thatthe top surface of the lifting fingers is five inches from the topsurface of the platform 37. The lifting and dumping lforl may now carrythe unit load onbrick, without the finger courses, and deposit them onthe lifting fingers of the loading car, after which the loading anddumping fork may be withdrawn from beneath the unit load. Finger coursesare now inserted between the lifting fingers, the space ofv five inchesbeing` ample to allow this to be done.

Regardless of which method is employed to construct the finger courses,the weightv of the unit or load of brick is carried directijv by thelifting fingers, and none. of suchload is supported by the fingercourses. All that is necessary, therefore, is to have a suficientgripping arrangement to grip the finger course-s in position on thelifting fingers.

The operation of my improved device is as follows, it being assumed thatthe device has been constucted and arranged as above described and thatit is Vdesired to load a box car 10 by placing therein a plurality ofunit stacks of bricks of any desired size and that said unit stacks ofbricks are to be brought to the device by suitable lifting and dumpingfork such, for example, as is described and claimed in my copendingapplication, Ser, No. 85,908, filed Feb. 4, 1926- Assume that thetransfer car is brought t0 the position shown in Figs. l and 2-with theloading car thereon, as indicated in Fig. 2, the basket of the loadingcar being in position relative to its carrying device, as indicated inFig. 10, and in Athis position the upper part ofthe lifting fingers 82are approximately 5 inches above the top surface of the platform 37 onthe transfer car. If the parallelly arranged ribs 100 are employed, asshown in- F ig. 6, then such ribs are so spaced as to be directly underthe central portion of the lifting fingers 82. The operator ma now slidein between lthe ribs 100 enoug bricks 89, and on edge, to fill the widthof therplatf'orm 37 or, if the ribs 100 are not employed, thensuchbricks 89a on edge, and which constitute thel finger courses, arepushed between the fingers 82. As described, this operation of buildingthe finger courses may be completed at this time or may be delayed untila later time, if desired. Assume, for the moment, that the fingercourses have been built on the platform 37 andbetween the fingers 82,the lifting and dumping fork (not shown) is .brought with its load ofbrick into position above the basket of the loading car and lowereduntil the fingers of the lifting fork. are positioned between thefingers 82er between the side of the fingers 82 and the adjacent vsideof one of the bricks SSV1 of the finger courses, the width of the spacebetween the `vlifting fingers 82 being Wide enough to allowvr for thisto be done. As an alternative method of placing the unit stack ofbrickin position, the loading and dumping forkmay be brought into suchposition that the fingers of such loading and dumping fork are movedinwardly from front to rear of the lifting. fingers until the unit stackof brick is'positioned properly above the lifting fingers, after whichthe lifting and dumping fork may be lowered to deposit the brickconstituting the unit on top of the liftingfingers. The lifting anddumping fork may now be withdrawn-from between theiingers 82 or fromIbetween the fingers and bricks constituting the finger course. lt willbe obvious that, because of the height of the ltop surface ofthe liftingvfingers above the surface of the platform '37,

is greater as compared with the height of a brick 89a placed on edge,the entire weight of the unit stack. of brickfwillbe carried by thelifting fingers and none of the weight of the unit stack rests ,on thefinger courses. During the above steps inthe operation, the

clamp lever. 79 is assumed to be in the posi- CII tion shown in Fig. 9.After the load of brick has been deposited on the lifting fingers 82,the upper end of the clamp lever 79 is moved forward, as viewed in Fig.9, to bring the laterally extending pin 80 thereon into position to beengaged and locked by the tooth 75 on the lever 74, thus bringing theclamps 90 into position against one face of each of the bricks of thelower course of bricks and forcing said bricks individually against theopposite finger 82. The transfer car is now pushed along the rails 17,down the rails 29, and onto the rails 32 within the box car 10, thestops 43 at the end of the rails 32 preventing too far a movement of thetransfer car, and the transfer car is thus brought to rest with thetroughs 38 thereon in alignment with the troughs 101, 105, and as manyothers as have been necessary to extend the length of one half of thebox car 10. The loading car is now pushed off the troughs 38 onto thetroughs 101, 105, in succession and into the position relative to thetracks similar to 101 and 105 adjacent to the end of the box car 10 assuch loading car occupied with respect to the troughs 100 during theloading process. IVhen in this position, the hand wheel 66 is rotated tocause a rotation of the segment 61 so as to lower the basket intoposition to bring the finger course of bricks on thc stack of bricksinto engagement with the floor of such car. The lever 74 is operated tobring the tooth 75 thereon out of engagement with the laterallyextending pin 80 on the clamping lever 79` which is brought back eithermanually or is brought automatically by means of the spring 84 into theposition indicated in Fig. 10, thus withdrawing the clamps 90 fromengagement with the faces of the bricks 89a in the lower Course and intoposition parallel to shafts 83. The loading car is now moved along thetroughs 105 and 101 into the position on the troughs 38 on the transfercar and such transfer car with the loading car thereon is moved into theposition indicated in Fig. 1, for example, where the above sequence ofoperations may again be initiated.

The above description explains the operation of loading one end of a boxcar. To load the opposite side of the box car, it is simply necessary toreverse the position of the loading car on the troughs 38. Provision ismade for attaching they stop pin 40 and side plates 39 to the other endof the said troughs.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new is:

1. In an apparatus for loading brick into box cars, the combination of atrack extending from a point without to the interior of the box car, buttransversely thereof, temporary tracks extending lengthwise from thetransverse tracks into the interior of the car, a transfer car movableon said transverse tracks, tracks mounted on the transfer car andextending transversely thereof, a loading car normally mounted on saidtransfer car and running on said transverse tracks, and a verticallymovable basket carried by the loading car and means to deposit the sameat any desired point within the box car.

2. In an improved loading car, the combination of a frame, wheelsupports for said frame, a basket mounted for vertical movement withinsaid frame, parallelly arranged lingers forming the bottom of saidbasket, and means on said fingers movable transversely thereof andadapted to clamp bricks between said clamps and the opposite finger.

3. An improved loading car for loading bricks into box cars and thelike, comprising a wheeled frame, a basket, a shaft rotatably mounted onsaid wheeled frame and extending transversely thereof, a worm wheelmounted on said shaft, a rotatably mounted worm meshing with said wormwheel to rotate said shaft in either direction, fingers secured to theends of said shaft, rotatably mounted segmental gears mounted at eachend of the frame and meshing with said pinions, pivotal connectionbetween the segmental gear and the basket whereby rotation of the firstsaid shaft will cause a vertical movement of said basket.

4. In a loading car, the combination of a vertically movable basket,parallelly arranged fingers spaced apart from each other and forming thebottom of said basket, a plurality of parallelly arranged verticalshafts mounted in said fingers, clamps pivotally mounted on saidvertical shafts, a longitudinally extending shaft in each of saidfingers, connections extending between said pivotally mounted clamps andsaid longitudinally extending sha ts, and means for simultaneouslymoving said shafts longitudinally and rotating said clamps on saidvertical shafts.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM W. WALLACE.

